Time Management: How to get started. (Pt. 3)

You won’t get anything important done unless you plan to put it first.

Important matters. It makes a difference, thus not everything is important. Did you know that with so much coming at us so relentlessly – emails, texts, people, and information – we assume the only way to get to it all is to juggle multiple tasks at the same time. In fact, moving between tasks creates something called “switching time.” When you shift attention from one focus of attention to another, the average time it takes to finish the first task increases by at least 25%.

When we talk about doing important work, what we’re saying is work that matters, that puts us in flow. Commitments are plans that get done. For example, say you start a blog. How many times a week do you plan to post? What’s the content going to be about?

2 ways to help you plan first the important.

Find your rhythm. Personally, I’m more productive if I have a few points of predictability during the day. My rhythm is in the morning and I turn off e-mail alerts for an hour every day in the am. You can call this sustainable sameness or finding points of stability in which I can work without being interrupted.

Create smaller time segments. Work expands to the time allotted for it. For example, do all projects require an hour? A surprising benefit of effective time management is reputation that I’m able to accomplish more each day by just set time frames to work in.

Now take your important projects, scope them out, and commit to a time line for you to get them done. Then hold yourself to it, or get help through an accountability group online like the one I’m a part of here.

“The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one.” -MARK TWAIN

What have you plan on doing today? Is it the important projects, priorities, and people in your life and work?